If you’re looking for a quiet and serene evening tonight, you might want to stay away from ORACLE Arena. For the first time since May 4, 1994, the Warriors will be hosting a playoff game. Already one of the loudest buildings in the NBA, the playoff-hungry fans are sure to present an electric atmosphere as the Warriors host the Mavericks in Game 3 of their first round playoff series. Single-game tickets are sold out for this game, but there’s still a way to secure playoff tickets. Click here to find out how.

Friday’s action will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN and heard on KNBR 1050.

The Warriors will return to ORACLE Arena with the series tied at 1-1. Although Golden State was eyeing bigger things after its Game 1 victory, taking one of two on the road from a team that finished with the sixth-best record in NBA history is nothing to be ashamed of.

After losing 112-99 to the Mavericks on Wednesday night, the Warriors know they will have to earn everything they get for the rest of the series. Nothing will be given to them. They are in a dogfight and now the Warriors will need to rise to that challenge.

One player who took that challenge head-on was Monta Ellis. The winner of the 2006-07 Most Improved Player Award bounced back from a slow start to the series and finished Game 2 with 20 points. Ellis playing well should only help the Warriors the rest of the way.

Also helping their chances will be playing at home. By winning Game 1, Golden State assumed home-court advantage. If the series is extended to a full seven games, then three of the next five games will be played at ORACLE Arena. The Warriors went 30-11 at home during the regular season, with two of those victories coming against the Mavericks.

In order to improve upon their home record, the Warriors will need their star players on the court. Both Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson were ejected from Wednesday’s Game 2. In addition, Matt Barnes fouled out of the contest after 21 minutes of action. Head Coach Don Nelson has mainly employed an eight-man rotation for this series, and finishing the game without three of those pieces did not help the team’s chances of winning.

Furthermore, Davis and Jackson are critical to the Warriors’ success. Davis willed the team to victory in Game 1 with 33 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, and Jackson is the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs with 26.5 points per game. Two of the few Warriors with playoff experience, the team will look to them to continually lead their quest to knock off the Mavericks.

If you plan on attending tonight's game, please be aware that the A's will also be playing a home game with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Please attempt to make arrangements to arrive at ORACLE Arena earlier than normal to account for increased traffic in the coliseum-arena parking lot.

After tonight’s action, the series will stay at ORACLE Arena for Sunday’s Game 4. Again, single-game tickets for this contest have sold out, but you can still get playoff tickets. Click here to find out more. The series will move back to Dallas for Game 5 on Tuesday before returning to Oakland for Game 6 on Thursday if necessary.

Extras: WARRIORS PLAYOFF BLOG | SERIES MATCH-UP BREAKDOWN | MULTIMEDIA